Ammunition-wagon or limber.



No. 786,452. PATENTED APR. 4,1905.

vW. MAYER.

AMMUNITION WAGON OR LIMBBR. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 13. 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Fig]. J

HE? E M 0 W. MAYER. AMMUNITION WAGON 0R LIMBBR.

PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 13. 1904.

UNTTED STATES Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT @rricis.

WILHELM MAYER, OF RUTTENSOHEID, NEAR ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GER- MANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. KRUPP, AKTIENGESELLSOHAFT, OF ESSEN- ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

AMMUNITION-WAGON OR LIIVIBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,452, dated April 4, 1905.

Application filed July 13, 1904. $erial No. 216,376. 7

To 0.7]. whmn it may concern:

Be it known that LWVILHELM MAYER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Riittenscheid, near Essen-on-the-Ruhr,

Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ammunitionagons or Limbers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to ammuni- IO tion-wagons or limbers having the door for the ammunition-box arranged in such a manner that when open it will project into the space between the ammunition-box and the ground, so as to protect the serving crew 5 against frontal tire.

The invention consists in connecting to the door of the ammunition-box a plate which when the door is closed can be folded to rest against the face of the door and when the door is open can be unfolded downward to increase the area of protection between the ammunition-box and the ground.

In the annexed drawings, in which the invention is shown, by way of example, as ap- 5 plied to an ammunition-wagon, Figure 1 is a side view of the ammunition-wagon with the door closed. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the door open. Fig. 3 is a rear View of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: shows a portion of Fig. 3

3 on a larger scale, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 4 seen from the left.

The ammunition-wagon substantially consists of the wagon-box A, in which the ammunition is stored and which backward is closed by a door B, the frame formed by the box-sills C and the beams D, the axle E, the wheels F, the foot-rest G, and the seat, which is formed by the cover H, Fig. 5, of the box, the back-rest J, and the side-boards K.

4 The wagon-box door B is preferably made of sheet-steel and is secured, by means of hinges M, to the bottom of the rear frame a of the wagon-box in such a manner that it can be swung from the position shown in Figs. 1,

3, 4, and 5 to the position indicated in Fig. 2. To the part of the door B that is opposite the hinges M a plate N is hinged in such a manner that it can be swung with the door from the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4E, and 5 to the position indicated in Fig. 2. The plate 5 N is of the same width as the door B and is preferably made of sheet-steel. This plate is of such height that when the door is open the plate is nearly in touch with the ground. The part of the hinges 12/ that is secured to the plate N is provided with one or more latches a shaped and arranged as illustrated in Fig. 5, while on the wagon-frame a are secured a corresponding number (in the drawings three) of keepers P, which have faces 19, 6 Fig. 5, for engagement with the latches M. The plate N is further provided with two handles Q and a turn-button R, Figs. 4 and 5. By engagement of the locking-pin r of the turn-button R in a slot a" of a dished disk a 5 the plate N is locked to the door when the latter is closed, and when the door is closed and the plate N is thus locked against the door by latches n engaging faces 2) of keepers P the door is locked.

In order to open the door, the turn-button R is turned to the position in which the lock- 7 ing-pin r registers with the slot a of the disk 12?, whereupon the plate N is swung upwardly by means of the handles Q until latches a are disengaged from the keepers P, and the plate, with the door, can be swung down into the position indicated in Fig. 2, in which the door B and plate N project substantially over the space between the wagon-box A and the ground. In this position the plate N enlarges the space protected by the door, so that the entire lower parts of the bodies of the serving crew behind the ammunition-wagon are protected against frontal fire. 5 When it is desired to close the door, the plate N and the door B are swung upwardly by means of handles Q, and the said movement is effected without material change of the relative positions of the two parts until 9 the door and plate reach a position in which they form an acute angle to the wagon-frame a, when the plate N is swung toward that face of the door provided with the disk 02 until the plate assumes an approximately horizontal position. Then while maintaining the relative positions held by the plate N and door B the door is brought to rest against the frame a, after which the plate N is folded down on the door B, thereby locking the door through the medium of the latches n and the keepers P, (in its locked position,) the latches 12 acting with the keepers P and under the control of the hinged plate N after the manner of a lever-lock.

The invention is equally applicable to limbers, which, generally speaking, differ from the ammunition-wagons above described only in the substitution of the pole for the beams D of the frame and the use of a limber-hook T, Fig. 1, in which case the door must be provided with an opening for such hook.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. An ammunition-vehicle having a boX- opening, a door adapted to drop downwardly from said opening, and a plate secured to said door and adapted to project downward from the door toward the ground when the door is in its lowered position.

2. An ammunition-vehicle having a boxopening, a door swinging upwardly to close the opening and a plate adapted to be hung from the door toward the ground when the door is in its lowered position.

3. In an ammunition-vehicle having a boxopening, a door swingingly connected to the vehicle to close said opening, and a plate swingingly connected to said door and adapted to be unfolded downward with the door toward the ground.

4. In an ammunition-vehicle having a boxopening, a door for closing said opening swingingly connected at its lower end to the vehicle and capable of being folded down to occupy a portion of the space between the vehicle-frame and the ground, and a plate swingingly connected to the free end of said door to depend therefrom.

5. In an ammunition-vehicle having a boxopening, a door for closing said opening, a plate swingingly connected to the free end of said door so as to depend therefrom, and means controlled by said plate for securing the door in locked position.

6. In an ammunition-vehicle having a boxopeningfa door for closing said opening, a plate swingingly connected to the free end of said door so as to depend therefrom, means controlled by said plate for securing the door in locked position, and releasable means securing the plate against movement relative to the door.

7. In an ammunition-vehicle having a boxopening, a door for closing said opening, a plate hinged to the free end of said door so as to depend therefrom, and means for securing the door in locked position, said means comprising a keeper on the vehicle and a latch on the hinged part of the plate.

8. In an ammunition-vehicle having a boxopening, a door for closing said opening hinged at its lower end to the vehicle, a plate hinged to the free end of said door so as to depend from said free end, means for securing the door in locked position, controlled by the swinging movement of the plate on the door, and releasable means for clamping the plate to the face of the door, to prevent swingilng movement of the plate relative to the oor.

The foregoing specification signed at Diisseldorf this 1st day of July, 1904.

WILHELM MAYER.

In presence of I/VILLIAM ESSENWEIN, PETER LIEBER. 

